


in the meadow where we roam

by selenedaydreams



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, sibling shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selenedaydreams/pseuds/selenedaydreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Glimpses into the life (and shenanigans) of the Solo children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the meadow where we roam

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in something I've taken to calling "The Happy AU" because in this AU no one dies, no one turns to the dark side, and the childhood of the Solo children is relatively peaceful and they get to grow up together.
> 
> If people enjoy this then I might turn it to a whole series, something along the lines of "Rey and Ben's Space Adventures".

She’s seven years old and wants to fly.

Flying on the falcon is always thrilling, even after years of doing so she still feels the urge to climb onto the dashboard and press her face against the window, as if doing so would somehow bring her closer to the stars surrounding her.

Still, when Ben lifts her in the air and places on her on his shoulders, reaching out his hands for her to grab hold of, it’s pretty close to flying.

“Don’t drop me, okay?” She asks time and time again, but the shrill of happiness in her voice drowns out the fear.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry.” 

When his arms grow tired and he lets go, Rey rests her forearms on top of his curls and presses her lips to his forehead just to see him smile.

“Maybe when you’re older you can carry me.” He teases as they walk around the enormous meadow that is part of their temporary new home.

It’s still early in the morning, early enough that the sun is just starting to rise, painting the sky in vibrant shades of orange and yellow. His feet sink into the cool grass. It rained last night.

“You’re too big.” Rey laughs before growing serious a moment later. “Maybe I could lift you with the force though. Do you think that would work?”

“Maybe.” Ben answers once they near a large tree that has become their sunrise watch stop ever since Rey had arrived. If they wake up early enough, they even bring their breakfasts here.

Much to her displeasure, he lifts her off his shoulders, setting her on a dry patch of grass near the thick roots of the tree. Her disappointment is short lived though, because as she looks up through the branches to see the colors of the sky peeking through, she smiles again and lays down, pillowing her head on his thigh.

“The sun is always so pretty.” She says and Ben can’t help but smile along. “But you know what’s prettier?”

“What?”

“Mommy.” She giggles, unable to keep from laughing at her own joke.

Ben shakes his head but has to agree, though he can’t help but wonder if the frequency at which Rey has been mentioning Leia lately has something to do with her missing their mother. This is the first time she has been away from her for this long and even he can remember how much he missed her once his Jedi training first started. 

Training with Luke does have its benefits, he’s family, after all, but it’s not the same.

“Do you miss her?” He asks, his fingers moving through her hair in a soothing manner.

Rey hesitates for a moment and when she finally answer, her eyes remain fixed on the rising sun. “Yes.” Before Ben can respond, she continues. “But it’s okay because you’re here.”

Ben swears he actually fells his chest tighten at those words.

**\---**

She watches him train.

Most days it’s embarrassing, although sometimes Ben feels a little proud of himself. Either way, Rey either laughs at him or smiles in encouragement so it’s always a win-win for her. 

Luke takes her under his wing, quite literally, actually, asking her to stand beside him and watch Ben carefully as he practices his lightsaber skills. Whenever he makes a mistake, Luke leans down to explain to her explain what Ben did wrong and makes sure she understands it fully before signaling for Ben to continue.

Lately, Luke has been making him do push ups while Rey sits on his back and even though the added weight is almost insignificant, it’s far more difficult than he would have imagined since she has made it her personal mission to try and mess him up as often as possible.

On today’s agenda is yelling out random numbers while he desperately tries to keep track of his progress (numbers that are always less than the number of push ups he has actually done). By the time he gets to 500, he’s certain he’s done at least 700.

“You’re really strong.” She says when he’s finished, trying desperately to hang from his arm much like one would do with a tree branch. Holding her isn’t a problem, her ability to get a proper grip, is though. 

Still, her praise is enough to make tomorrow’s soreness worth it. 

**\---**

Sometimes she tries to braid his hair.

It’s gotten longer since he started his training and just long enough for her to attempt to properly braid it.

“I’m going to make you look like mommy.” She proclaims, doing her best to fashion his hair into an intricate braided bun that ends up falling apart moments after it’s finished due to lack of hair pins.

She doesn’t seem to mind though because once she’s had her fun, they switch places and Ben effortlessly pulls her hair into her signature 3 buns, just how Leia had taught him to do before they left.

Take care of her, she made him promise, which begged the question: when hadn’t he?

“If being a Jedi doesn’t work out, you could always be a hairdresser.” She tells him before kissing his cheek as a thank you.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Still, he appreciates the thought.

**\---**

“Don’t leave.” Rey whispers into the dark, her small fingers wrapping tightly around his wrist, keeping him from leaving her bedroom.

“You have to go to sleep now.”

“But I don’t like being alone.”

There’s a storm raging outside, a harsh follow up to the light rain from last night, and Ben is more than certain that her sudden distrust of the dark has something to do with that. 

“Rey-”

“Just until I fall asleep.” She asks again. “ _ Please _ .”

After a moment of hesitation, he sighs and nods in agreement. Refusing her is impossible. “Just until you fall asleep.” He echoes back.

The bed is far too narrow to house them both, so he sits down on the floor next to it. Taking her hand, he kisses her knuckles before squeezing it in reassurance and allowing her to continue holding onto him. 

She seems to relax instantly, shifting closer to the edge of the bed, closer to him and holding onto his hand with no intention of letting go. 

“Thank you, Ben.” She whispers, voice already thick with sleep.

Rey is already asleep before she can hear his whispered response. “Anything for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr @mallcolmducasse.


End file.
